Head of Engineering

Job Title: Head of Engineering
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Job Type: Permanent, Full-time
Work Schedule: Hybrid
Location: Houston, TX USA

Head of Engineering

NES Fircroft is a leading global technical recruitment company providing professional contract and permanent staff to a diverse world-wide client base within the energy industry. Our client, a fast-growing technology licensor startup, has a permanent opportunity for a Head of Engineering to be based in Houston, TX.

Job Overview

The Head of Engineering will be the technical leader responsible for implementing and deploying our client’s patented technology. He/ She will establish and manage processes and capabilities to meet engineering needs across the company. The role will require identifying and maintaining a mixture of internal and external capabilities to address our client’s product development, application engineering, plant commissioning and operations, and sustaining engineering responsibilities. The Head of Engineering must combine discipline-specific knowledge with leadership and business skills to promote the efficiency, profitability, and competitive position of the company. This role will serve as the primary integrator of a global internal and external team including EPC and OEM partner organizations, suppliers, and customers.

Our client’s patented technology combines methodology from both the process and chemical industries as well as power generation. To maximize global adoption, the technology will be deployed to customers as standard plants through a licensing model.  The Head of Engineering must have strong process, product development, and systems engineering background with experience in new product introduction and commercialization in relevant industries.  

Responsibilities & Duties

Technical foundation & validation

• Create the technical processes to build upon, continually supplement, and report our previous and ongoing technology validation pathway.
• Prioritize and resolve technical challenges associated with scaling and deploying first-of-a-kind technology.
• Ensure program plans are progressing to deliver on-time and within budget for a set scope of work from program scoping to validation completion.

Integrate with Key Partners

• Lead technical aspects of our joint development program with our manufacturing partner. 
• Partner with strategic suppliers and vendors engineering teams to develop program plans that meet technical, production, and business requirements.
• Develop plans to balance risks of schedule, cost, and performance with partners while incorporating risk mitigation plans into the ongoing scope of work.
• Translate product requirements into documented technical requirements for the engineering team, key partners, and suppliers.

Execute on Milestones

• Lead the engineering team responsible for our licensed technology product design and deployment at utility scale, beginning with our ~300MW Serial Number 1 plant in West Texas coming online in 2026.
• Provide leadership supporting performance, project execution, and program management of assigned work and ensure on-time, on budget fulfillment of engineering commitments in accordance with contract requirements, business procedures, industry standards and regulatory agency guidelines.
• Provide leadership, timely communication, and recommendations on significant risks/ issues or developments to senior leadership.
• Own plant technical package creation, configuration control, release, and ongoing improvement and maintenance.

Scale for Global Deployment

• Create the technical foundation to support the deployment of standard highly-modularized facilities.
• Build a high performing multi-discipline systems engineering and process/ performance-based engineering team located across engineering hubs.
• Provide application engineering support to ensure the build out of a robust backlog of plant license orders.
• Support all customer project deployments through phases including feasibility study, FEED’s, and eventual execution with our EPC partners.
• Ensure engineering and product development processes achieve market facing customer product performance requirements while meeting lifecycle cost requirements.
• Support sales and operations through the proposal and execution phase in qualifying customer applications, system integration requirements planning, and performance optimization.
• Collaborate with the Chief Innovation Officer and the R&D engineering team on advanced technologies for future deployment/ growth.

Requirements/ Qualifications
 

• BS and MS Degree in Engineering (Chemical or Mechanical preferred)
• Knowledge of chemicals, power generation, and/or oil & gas industry (15+ years)
• Strong leadership skills; ability to build, develop and lead high-performing teams
• Proven ability to lead a team of highly experienced multi- disciplined engineers, partners, vendors, and balance multiple demands and priorities (technical and non-technical)
• Experience introducing new products or new technology (NPI/ NTI) from development/ design through to commercialization is required
• Experience working with technology licensor highly desireable
• Experience and understanding working with turbomachinery/ turbines, prior experience working with OEM desireable
• Proven ability to think strategically, be creative and move quickly
• Experience using modern digital engineering collaboration and design tools
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced collaborative work culture
• Travel required (50%), must be able to commit to domestic and international travel

Highly desired Characteristics
 

• Business Degree, MBA, or advanced engineering degree is a plus
• Extensive knowledge of power generation, LNG, and/or oil & gas industry (20+ years)
• Chemical industry, power generation, Oil & Gas, and/or process industry performance cycle model expertise
• Extensive experience taking complex energy systems and industrial products from new product introduction through commercialization
• Proven problem solver, enjoys challenges and deems solving problems a success
• Curious learner and inspiring leader, someone who can bring a team together under one mission
• Working knowledge, skill, and experience using Agile or LEAN, define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC), design for six sigma (DFSS), design for reliability (DFR), failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and design to cost (DTC)

About our client

Passionate about making an impact? Our client is driven by their vision of empowering a clean world by globally deploying affordable and reliable zero-emissions energy. They are a well-funded clean energy technology company backed by strategic investors across financial institutions and major oil and energy companies. Their technology delivers clean, reliable, and low-Cost energy.


Why work here
 

• Opportunity to join a nimble but fast-growing clean energy technology developer backed by financial institutions and major oil and energy companies
• Join a company with a mission to address global challenges and create positive change
• Ability to create and build out engineering plan while deep diving into unique technology
• Work with like minded individuals at the top of their respective fields to collaborate on a unified mission
• Competitive compensation packages, benefits, 401K match, tuition reimbursement, maternity/ paternity paid leave, and more

This is an excellent opportunity to become part of a fast-growing clean energy technology licensor. The successful applicant will receive a competitive annual compensation package, annual bonus, strong medical benefits, PTO, holidays, and more. Relocation assistance is also available. For more information on this opportunity or others, please contact Mishu Ventura. 

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.